Stormhost

Every Stormcast Eternal is part of a Stormhost, a gathering of warriors many thousands strong. They are hand-chosen by Sigmar for reasons and purposes only he knows, and each has a unique name and heraldry. Numbering between five and ten thousand warriors, each Stormhost is a mighty army in its own right.

The exact number of Stormhosts is a mystery to all but the God-King himself, for Sigmaron – the wondrous sky palace that floats high above the sealed realm of Azyr – has been shrouded in a veil of secrecy for hundreds of years. The heroic deeds of dozens of Stormhosts are celebrated throughout the cities and camps of the free peoples, and with each passing season new Stormhosts in glittering armour appear on the battlefields of the Mortal Realms to add their name to the roll call of honour.

Though every Stormcast Eternal is blessed with a portion of Sigmar’s divine power, none are imbued so richly with godly might as the Lord-Celestants. Chosen by the God-King personally, they are the greatest of all in a Stormhost. The Lord-Celestants are both field commanders and mighty warriors, equally adept at leadership and facing the enemy themselves. To the greatest of each Stormhost’s Lord-Celestants falls the role of Lord-Commander – the supreme leader through whom Sigmar’s will is realised.

A Stormhost is organised into several chambers and commanded in war by the Command Echelon – graduates of the temples dedicated to the disciplines of the officer cadre. It is within these temples that the Lord-Celestants, Lord-Relictors and other lords and knights of the Stormhost are trained and equipped before they are assigned to specific chambers. Upon death, reforged lords and knights must pass through the appropriate temple before they are permitted to return to their chamber

A chamber is the largest tactical formation employed by the Stormcast Eternals – small enough to maintain flexibility and manoeuvrability, but powerful enough to confront most threats. Strike Chambers make up the majority of a Stormhost’s fighting strength. There are three types of Strike Chamber: Warrior, Harbinger and Exemplar. The exact number of these chambers varies from Stormhost to Stormhost, but the well-rounded Warrior Chambers are usually the most predominant. Each chamber is led by a Lord-Celestant and, subordinate to them, a small group of other officers. The rank and file are organised into fighting units called retinues, each consisting of between three and twenty warriors led by a prime.

Retinues are assigned to conclaves – divisions within each chamber that serve to train and equip the warriors, and through which the reforged must pass before they can resume their duties. Each conclave is dedicated to a specific battlefield role. The Redeemer Conclave comprises the main battle line troops, the Justicar Conclave holds the supporting missile troops, the Angelos Conclave is made up of the first-strike units and the Paladin Conclave has the elite reserve.

Next to the Strike Chambers, each Stormhost can call on the Tempest Chambers, which contain many of the more wondrous and outlandish warriors of the Stormhosts. Tempest Chambers are quite varied in function and organisation, but ultimately serve as support to the Strike Chambers. The two known types of Tempest Chamber are the elite Extremis Chamber and one of the Auxiliary Chambers – namely the independent Vanguard Chamber. The majority of Stormhosts can field but a single Extremis Chamber – such is their rare power – but notably the Hammers of Sigmar boast several full complements of this formation. The number of Auxiliary Chambers available to the Lord-Commander is similarly restricted.

Other Tempest Chambers are named on the Stormhosts’ rolls and dedications, but so far nothing is known of their organisation or intended function. These are collectively known as the Unopened Chambers, and one can only guess at Sigmar’s plans for them.

STRIKE CHAMBERS

The main fighting component of a Stormhost are its Strike Chambers, semi-autonomous regiments equally able to fight independently or in combination with other forces. At full strength, a Strike Chamber’s Lord-Celestant may have as many as five hundred Stormcast Eternals at their command – certainly a force to be reckoned with and more than capable of delivering a telling blow to any they oppose. As war beckons across all of the Mortal Realms, Stormhosts are required to be deployed in many different places simultaneously. The composition of these forces is dependent upon the scale of the task at hand – an entire Stormhost or more might be required to lay low a vast enemy stronghold. More frequently, however, the individual chambers are hurled into combat, although these too can be divided into smaller fighting formations to carry out specific actions.

The three types of Strike Chamber have different battlefield roles, and this is reflected in their composition. Warrior Chambers are the largest, most numerous and the most tactically flexible Strike Chamber. They form the main battle line, the heart and soul of the Stormhost – as long as the Warrior Chambers prevail, victory is assured. The Harbinger Chambers are the Stormhost’s eyes and ears, fast and manoeuvrable, often the first to confront the enemy. The Exemplar Chambers are the best of the best, an elite reserve consisting mostly of Paladin retinues – the mightiest of all of the Stormhost’s infantry.

Each of the three Strike Chambers has a Chamber Command consisting of the Lord-Celestant and their subordinate officers. Every chamber has assigned to it at least one of each of the lord-rank officers and a small cadre of knights. The retinues within each chamber are organised by conclave.

ANGELOS CONCLAVE

"Angelos retinues scout ahead of their brethren. They use their superior mobility to harass the enemy and thin their ranks in preparation for an assault by the other conclaves. When battle is properly joined, they can be swiftly deployed to strike wherever they are most needed"

PALADIN CONCLAVE

"Wherever the fighting is thickest, there are found the Paladin retinues, strongest of their chamber. Bane of terrors, each the worth of a dozen lesser warriors, there is no foe they cannot face."

REDEEMER CONCLAVE

"The Redeemer retinues are the sigmarite soul of the chamber – stalwart, unflinching and relentless. The core of the Stormcast Eternals’ battle line, these are Sigmar’s hardiest fighters."

JUSTICAR CONCLAVE

"Justicars seek out the foe’s weak points, and punish them from afar with storm-forged weapons. They thin the enemy’s ranks and strike at enemy commanders, for none can escape their wrath."

Warriors Chambers have up to twenty-four retinues held in four conclaves – Angelos, Paladin, Redeemer and Justicar. This variety of troops affords the Lord-Celestant the maximum choice when assigning retinues for missions and great tactical flexibility on the battlefield. If the Redeemer Conclave is the anvil, the Paladin Conclave is the hammer, whilst the Angelos and Justicar Conclaves offer their support in the vanguard and the rear respectively.

Harbinger and Exemplar Chambers each hold up to fifteen retinues in three conclaves. The core of a Harbinger Chamber is a large Angelos Conclave, which is supported by smaller Redeemer and Justicar Conclaves. This chamber is focused on the key speciality of the Prosecutor retinues – they are fast, manoeuvrable and strike quickly to seize the initiative from the enemy. The Liberator and Judicator retinues provide a solid base for the flying troops to operate from but will intervene if necessary to prevent the Prosecutors becoming embroiled in an attritional melee.

Exemplar Chambers are structured around a large Paladin Conclave with ancillary Angelos and Justicar Conclaves offering support. Elite Paladin retinues are a formidable force in any case, but concentrated en masse they are nigh unstoppable. Exemplar Chambers are among the Stormhost’s strongest weapons, and to them fall the most demanding of missions – honours that can be counted in the number of Reforgings these stalwarts undergo. It is true for all of the Strike Chambers that, under the astute leadership of the Chamber Command, the different conclaves can combine their might and best enemies many times their size. Thus is forged a war machine truly worthy of Sigmar’s blessing.